Clippings from the NYTimes: The Green Party

In the special Style magazine: The agony of environmentally conscious entertaining. There is always the nagging feeling that one should be doing more, which in this case often means less. "We buy these plates and cups from the Park Slope co-op," said one popular Brooklyn hostess ruefully, "that are eco-correct and dishwashable. Of course, then you have to use heated water to wash them." Even worse, she goes on, "if we eat meat at all, it's kosher and grass-fed. We then have to drive to Queens to get it or have FedEx drive it to us. So you really can't win." ::The Green party

Lake Mead: "That whiteness covering the desert hillsides is a sort of bathtub ring, measuring through calcium and other mineral deposits how much the water level has dropped in Lake Mead over the years, but especially within the last decade." ::Out West, a Falling Lake Lowers All Boats

Editorial: Playing Games with Toy Safety

With the holiday season approaching, there is more bad news about the federal agency charged with protecting children from unsafe toys. Nancy Nord, acting chairwoman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, joined industry lobbyists in opposing a Senate bill intended to strengthen her enfeebled agency. That was followed by the revelation that Ms. Nord and her predecessor took free trips from the toy industry. ::More